The kids are taking over. Just look at the skill spots on offense: four sophomores and two juniors. Johnny Manziel, Todd Gurley and Amari Cooper & Co. are sure to dominate highlight reels all season long, while in the trenches, Taylor Lewan, David Yankey, Stephon Tuitt and Jadeveon Clowney will get it done.

View FullscreenClose

QB: Johnny Manziel, Soph., Texas A&M

Johnny Football has been dominating headlines off the field, but soon enough he’ll be back in them for what he’s doing on the field—and that was a whole lot in 2012. Sporting News’ Player of the Year and the Heisman winner threw for 3,706 yards, ran for 1,410 and accounted for 47 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. In theory, he should still be growing in Kevin Sumlin’s offense and that’s a scary thought. Fair or unfair, how he performs Sept. 14 against Alabama will go a long way in defining Manziel’s season in 2013. (Dave Einsel/AP)

View FullscreenClose

RB: T.J. Yeldon, Soph., Alabama

The perfect complement to Eddie Lacy a year ago, Yeldon won’t have all the carries to himself this season, but will be the feature back. Shifty, fast and a big play waiting to happen, it’s almost unfair QB AJ McCarron has Yeldon to hand the ball to and Amari Cooper to throw it to. (David J. Phillip/AP)

View FullscreenClose

RB: Todd Gurley, Soph., Georgia

Every star high school running back who arrives in Athens gets compared to the great Herschel Walker, but none of them ever come close to matching the former great Bulldog. Gurley might be the first to make the comparisons legit. He scored the second time he touched the ball last year—a 10-yard run—and the third—a 100-yard kickoff return—and he only got better. Gurley is a big, fast back who runs around and over opponents. His 1,385 rushing yards are sixth in Georgia history and just the second time a freshman has eclipsed the mark (yeah, Herschel did it first). (John Bazemore/AP)

View FullscreenClose

WR: Marqise Lee, Jr., USC

In two seasons, Lee’s numbers are mind-numbing. He caught 118 passes last season for 1,721 yards and 14 scores, and that was with defenses keying on him. His 16-catch, 345-yard, two-TD performance in a loss to Arizona will go down as one of the greatest single-game performances ever by a receiver. The Trojans are still searching for Matt Barkley’s successor at QB, but Lee will make his job much easier. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

View FullscreenClose

WR: Amari Cooper, Soph., Alabama

How good is Cooper? So good that he bumped Julio Jones from atop the record book in receptions (59), receiving yards (1,000) and TD catches (11) by a freshman. He saved his best for the biggest stages: against Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia (SEC Championship game) and Notre Dame (BCS National Championship Game). (Dave Martin/AP)

View FullscreenClose

TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jr., Washington

The mammoth Seferian-Jenkins (6-6, 265 pounds) has excelled in Steve Sarkisian’s offense. In two seasons he has 110 receptions, 1,388 yards and 13 TDs. He had nine catches once last season and eight in two more games. Expect his production to increase as QB Keith Price leans on him. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

View FullscreenClose

OL: David Yankey, Sr., Stanford

Yankey’s the type of lineman a coaching staff pencils in as starter and doesn’t worry about again. The senior is everyone’s preseason All-American and is on the Maxwell, Outland and Lombardi watch lists. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

View FullscreenClose

OL: Taylor Lewan, Sr., Michigan

Everyone remembers Jadeveon Clowney’s helmet-separating hit in the Outback Bowl, but few recall that Lewan neutralized Clowney for a good part of that game. The 6-foot-8 senior is another great one in a long line of elite Michigan offensive linemen. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

View FullscreenClose

OL: Cyril Richardson, Sr., Baylor

A mountain of a man, the 6-5, 335-pound guard is literally a big reason the Bears have been so dynamic on offense the past few years. He’s the reigning Big 12 offensive lineman of the year, and Bryce Petty, the likely replacement at QB for the graduated Nick Florence, will be glad to have Richardson in front of him. So will running back Lache Seastrunk, who has Heisman aspirations. (Tony Gutierrez/AP)

Advertisement

View FullscreenClose

OL: Jake Matthews, Sr., Texas A&M

Matthews could be preparing for his rookie season in the NFL with a multimillion-dollar contract in hand just like former Aggies teammate Luke Joeckel, but he chose instead to return to College Station. That’s good news for the Aggies and great news for all-everything QB Johnny Manziel. Matthews will slide over from right tackle to replace Joeckel on the left side. That Matthews is already considered All-American material without playing the most important spot on the offensive line tells all you need to know about his ability. (Texas A&M)

View FullscreenClose

OL: Anthony Steen, Sr., Alabama

It’s easy to forget the 6-3, 310-pounder when he’s been surrounded by Barrett Jones, Chance Warmack and Cyrus Kouandjio during his Bama career. A grinder at right guard, Steen helped pave the way for two 1,000-yard rushers last season. (Keith Srakocic/AP)

View FullscreenClose

AP: De’Anthony Thomas, Jr., Oregon

In a word, Thomas is a nightmare. He scored rushing, receiving, punt and kickoff return touchdowns last season and still he took a back seat to QB Marcus Mariota and RB Kenjon Barner at times. Regardless, game-planning for the Ducks starts with Thomas. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry, led the team with 45 receptions out the backfield and had a 73-yard punt return and 94-yard kickoff return for scores. In his spare time, he anchors the Ducks' 4-by-100 meter relay team and runs the 200 meters. (Don Ryan/AP)

View FullscreenClose

DT: Will Sutton, Sr., Arizona State

The 6-1, 290-pound Sutton was a dominating force at the point of attack last season. He was second in the nation in tackles for loss with 23.5—the same as Jadeveon Clowney and one less than Georgia’s Jarvis Jones. He also contributed 13 sacks. If he makes a jump close to the one he made from as a junior, he’ll leave the Sun Devils with all sorts of hardware. (Ralph Freso/AP)

View FullscreenClose

DT: Anthony Johnson, Jr., LSU

Johnson has shown glimpses of what he can do. He contributed as a freshman and saw increased playing time last season. But he only started three times in 2012—against Idaho, Auburn and Towson—hardly the full gauntlet the Tigers ran through last season. But he’s athletic for a player his size (6-3, 295) and recorded 10 tackles for loss and three sacks last year. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

View FullscreenClose

DE: Jadeveon Clowney, Jr., South Carolina

The lasting image of the 2012 season was of Clowney knocking the helmet off Michigan’s Vincent Smith’s head in the bowl game. As impressive as the play was, there’s a whole lot more to Clowney. The likely No. 1 pick in a future NFL Draft had 23.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks, forced three fumbles and attracted numerous double- and triple-teams. (Richard Shiro/AP)

View FullscreenClose

DE: Stephon Tuitt, Jr., Notre Dame

Defensive ends aren’t supposed to stand 6-6 and weight 300 pounds, but that’s Tuitt and he’s every bit as disruptive as his size indicates. Linebacker Manti Te’o earned the most attention on last year’s Irish defense, but it was Tuitt who forced the action at the line. He totaled 13 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. For good measure, he returned a fumble 77 yards for a touchdown against Navy. Yes, he’s athletic. (Darron Cummings/AP)

View FullscreenClose

LB: C.J. Mosley, Sr., Alabama

What does it say when Nick Saban holds you in high enough regard to start as a freshman linebacker? A whole heck of a lot. That’s what Mosley did in 2010 and he’s gotten better every season. He led the Tide with 107 tackles last season, had four sacks, intercepted two passes and drove opposing offenses nuts. (David J. Phillip/AP)

View FullscreenClose

LB: Anthony Barr, Sr., UCLA

Barr converted from running back to linebacker prior to last season and the results were impressive: 83 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Not bad for a guy who had more carries (15) than tackles (three) his first two seasons at UCLA. Imagine what he can do with a full season, spring and fall camp. (Lenny Ignelzi/AP)

View FullscreenClose

LB: Kyle Van Noy, Sr., BYU

Van Noy is on every watch list possible entering the season, and for good reason: 53 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, two interceptions and two blocked kicks. He capped off the 2012 season by scoring on a fumble and an interception return in the Poinsettia Bowl win against San Diego State. (Lenny Ignelzi/AP)

Advertisement

View FullscreenClose

CB: Bradley Roby, Jr., Ohio State

There’s no denying Roby’s talent, but the Buckeyes may start the season without him. His status is in limbo after an off-the-field incident that resulted in him being arrested and charged with Class A misdemeanor battery. He was third on the team with 63 tackles last season, broke up a team-high 19 passes and returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown. (Jay LaPrete/AP)

View FullscreenClose

CB: Loucheiz Purifoy, Jr., Florida

Purifoy is so talented that even though he’s All-SEC and All-American-worthy on defense, the Gators are also going to give him snaps at receiver. In fact, corner could become his secondary position. He’s also great on special teams—he forced three fumbles and blocked two kicks last season. (John Raoux/AP)

View FullscreenClose

S: Ed Reynolds, Sr.. Stanford

Who knew how good Reynolds would be last season after missing all of 2011 with a torn ACL? Well, he was fantastic. He picked off six passes (with a whopping 301 return yards) and brought three of them back for touchdowns. He helped frustrate Matt Barkley and the USC offense in Week 3 in one of the early season’s most-anticipated games. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

View FullscreenClose

S: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Jr., Alabama

The junior emerged as a big-time playmaker in a stacked Tide secondary last season. He started 10 games, picked off five passes, including one against Notre Dame in the BCS title game. (David J. Phillip/AP)

View FullscreenClose

P: Kyle Christy, Jr., Florida

Christy was fifth in the nation a year ago with a
45.8-yard gross average. You can certainly elevate him to elite status when you factor in his 27 kicks downed inside the 20. With the fifth-best defense in college football
last season, the Gators made it extra difficult on opponents with Christy’s
precision and booming kicks. (John Raoux/AP)

View FullscreenClose

PR: Marcus Murphy, Jr., Missouri

Murphy certainly did his part for the Tigers in their inaugural season in the SEC. After missing the 2011 season with a shoulder injury, he returned as the team’s kick returner and scored four times—three on punts, once on a kickoff. He scored twice on punt returns in the season opener, but the feather in his cap was a 98-yard kickoff return for Missouri’s only TD in a home loss to eventual BCS champion Alabama. (L.G. Patterson/AP)

View FullscreenClose

K: Chandler Catanzaro, Sr., Clemson

Catanzaro missed just one of his 19 attempts last season, a 48-yarder against Wake Forest. His biggest kick of the season gave Clemson a 25-24 win against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl; he nailed a 37-yard attempt on the game’s final play. (David Goldman/AP)

View FullscreenClose

KR: Dri Archer, Sr., Kent State

Archer is good with the ball in his hands, period. He ran for 1,429 yards and 16 TDs as a running back. He only returned 16 kickoffs, but made the most of them. He averaged nearly 37 yards per return and scored three times. One way or another, Archer’s going to get his touches. (G.M. Andrews/AP)